Denver At Indianapolis

January 4, 2004

WHEN: 4:30 p.m., WKMG -Ch. 6.

RECORDS: Colts 12-4, Broncos 10-6.

STORY LINE: The Colts have lost five consecutive playoff games since the 1995 season, and Coach Tony Dungy has lost three consecutive playoff openers with the Colts and Buccaneers. The visiting Broncos beat the Colts 31-17 on Dec. 21.

KEY MATCHUP: Denver's Clinton Portis vs. Indy's defensive line. Portis, who rushed for a career-high 1,591 yards during the regular season, was injured and missed the game three weeks ago. The Colts are not a good team on run defense.

DENVER UPDATE: The Broncos have won eight of the past 11 games in this series. They are 5-3 in road games against the Colts, including 3-2 at the RCA Dome. Coach Mike Shanahan is 7-2 in the playoffs. The Broncos were the only team to rank in the top three in their conference in total offense and total defense.

INDIANAPOLIS UPDATE: They set a franchise record with 447 points scored. Dungy's teams have reached the playoffs in six of the past eight seasons. Quarterback Peyton Manning led the NFL with 4,267 passing yards and became the first player in NFL history with five consecutive 4,000-yard seasons. He had an AFC-high 29 touchdown passes.

BOTTOM LINE: It doesn't seem as if the Colts can win a low-scoring game. Their offense needs to be on the field more than their offense and that's a tall order. The Broncos may control everything.